1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrocasting method for manufacturing metal parts.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrocasting is a known technique for forming molded metal articles by plating (electrodepositing) a thin film of metal on a mold. Metal can be electrodeposited just where desired by forming an insulating film on portions of the mold where no electrodeposition is necessary, but some of the current blocked by the insulating film can flow into the electrodeposition portion near the insulating film, and this increases the amount of electrodeposition in some places, which is a problem in that the electrodeposited metal layer has an uneven thickness. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application H8-225983, for example, discloses that the surface (the side away from the mold) of an electrocast metal layer is polished smooth.
Thus, with conventional electrocasting, it is impossible to control the shape of the surface of a molded metal article (the side away from the side electrodeposited onto the mold).